Life Saver
by Ismae10
Summary: A girl dies in a car crash and doesn't survive, so how is that her crush has the ability to bring her back to life? Teenagers only please read this, or some adults can if they're interested!
1. The Lake House

Life Saver

Prologue:

Every day is a winding road. Those are the lyrics I live by. Sheryl Crowe speaks the truth about everything she sings about. You have to live life like you were dying, and you have to make each decision your own. No one else can tell you to live your life except you. If you want to eat pizza today, then eat pizza. If you want to jump off a bridge and end your life, then go right ahead. It's your choice what you do with your life and no one else's.

I didn't realize how short life was...not until mine ended.

Chapter #1: The Lake House

"Let's hit the road!" my dad announced. "Get a move on, Isabelle!"

I sighed and zipped my suitcase up. Weekends were always busy with plans, and they always involve the lake house. My father is a boat junkie. He has at least three boats at our one story lake house. I asked him one time where the money came from; he said the lottery. I didn't believe him. My dad never does anything with lotteries. I told him his was lying; he said no.

"ISABELLE!" he hollered.

"I'm coming!" I yelled.

I yanked the pillow off my bed and my stuffed teddy bear from its place. Lastly, I trudged downstairs to the front door. I placed my suitcase down and sighed. My dad opened up the front door, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. He grabbed my suitcase, and the door shut closed. I went to the kitchen to grab a quick snack. In the kitchen, I found my ten year old brother snatching Oreo cookies from the package and shoving them into his mouth.

"JEREMY!" I shouted.

Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at me and tried to smile, but his mouth was too full to speak. He started to mumble, but I interrupted him.

"DON'T talk with your mouth full!" I put my hand up to stop him. "Please. It's gross enough seeing your mouth filled with chocolate-especially with your braces."

I scoffed and headed to the car without getting a snack. In the back seat, I laid my pillow on the window and tried to fall asleep. It got interrupted by my brother yelling when he got on the other side of the car.

"ROAD TRIP! ROAD TRIP!"

I groaned but didn't shout at him; I wanted to...SO badly...

Dad took the driver's seat, and Mom climbed into the passenger seat. A minute later, we hit the road. At the lake house two hours later, I was the first to jump out to stretch out my legs. My cat Whiskers meowed as I turned around to pick him up. My brother had brought him when he had gotten in hours earlier. He put Whiskers in between us. He just fell asleep the whole ride; I didn't.

Inside our lake house, I tossed my bag on my bed and relaxed. Whiskers leaped on my bed too, curled onto my lake house pillow, and fell back asleep. I giggled inside and went back outside five minutes later to go see Leila. I met her about six months ago when my dad bought our lake house. She lives next door to me, and I told her I was going to be up here this weekend-the usual routine. She lives in a small town west of my town of OakRidge. I think it's called All-Star County.

"Leila!" I nearly screamed when I ran to the front door. She was heading out too because she heard me pull up. She's been in Paris, France, for the past four weeks, and I have missed her dearly.

"Isabelle!" She was talking in a French accent.

"Well bonjour!" I joked. She beamed and hugged me. "So how was Paris?"

"Paris," she began in her French accent again, "was amazing! There were cute French boys everywhere! I couldn't keep up! There was Philipe, James, Ryan, Stephen, and Hester. They were SO sweet...they gave me their last names for Facebook!" she grinned and tossed her sandy blonde hair to the side. "So, how was your summer, Izzy?"

"Eh...it was interesting..." I shrugged my shoulders and smirked.

"No boys?" the sound of disappointment filled her voice.

"Nope," I lied.

She stared at me hard and then nodded.

"No nothing?"

I shook my head no again.

"Well...anyways," she started. "Let's go get some ice-cream," she suggested.

"Sure!" I chirped. "Let me go get some money."

"Girl, please!" Leila whipped out a twenty dollar bill from her pocket. "I got this."

I laughed, and we linked arms and jogged to the ice-cream shop down the street.

"One of those red, white and blue popsicles and a chocolate fudge," Leila ordered at the cash register. The man nodded and turned around. Few seconds later, he handed us each what we wanted. My eyes grew wide at my colorful popsicle. Leila already started ripping hers open after giving the man her money. The cast register went ching! He handed her the change back. Then we went back outside and started to walk back home.

"So, what should we do today?" she asked. She took a bite of her fudge bar. I shrugged again and opened up my popsicle. I stuffed the wrapper in my jean pocket.

I licked my snack and mumbled, "I don't know."

"Let's go on the Wave Runner!" she jumped in front of me and smiled. I could see her eyes light up like Christmas trees. "You wanna race me?" she challenged in her serious but fun voice.

"Oh girl it's ON!" I declared. I took another lick. It started dripping down the stick and onto my hand. I began to lick my hand too. "Umm...you wanna meet up at our docks in like twenty minutes?" We reached the front side of our houses.

"Sure!" she agreed. "See ya then." We waved good-bye and went our separate ways to go change and get ready for the race.

In the kitchen, Mom asked, "Were you with Leila?"

"Yup," I replied.

"Well, I just heard there's this new family that moved from OakRidge. They have a son your age I do believe. They're new to the lake house, so I was thinking that you and Leila could go introduce yourselves to them and just be nice to him and include him in your activities because he doesn't know anybody here."

"So he doesn't know I'm up here?"

"Nope. Could you do that today?"

"Yeah sure-after my Wave Runner race!" I beamed.

Mom's face froze.

"Isabelle!"

"What?"

"What have I told you about racing?"

"Mom, we're not even gonna go that fast!"

"Jasmine told me the same thing!"

That name hit me like a bullet.

"I know," I cut her off. "I'll be careful, Mom. I promise."

Her face softened a bit and then grew sad. She went back to cutting up the vegetables for dinner tonight. I almost felt like crying too. A year ago, my oldest sister Jasmine to the Wave Runner out to race her best friend, and they ended up dying because they accidentally crashed into each other.

Mom told me never to race someone from that day forward, but why she's letting Leila and I do it is unquestionable. Leila and I are only fifteen, but Jasmine and Hanna were seventeen. I miss her a lot. Leila is like my sister to me.

I walked slowly to my room at the end of the hallway and collapsed on my bed. I was exhausted, and I don't even know why. I saw the time on my nightstand and realized I had twenty more minutes left. I got back up and changed in my swimsuit. Outside five minutes later, I went down to the dock and put on my life jacket. I looked to Leila's house and saw that she was coming out too. She got on her dock and slipped on a life jacket. Next, we lowered our Wave Runners into the water and stopped. She and I inserted our keys and started it up.

On the water, we were about three feet away from each other, and we were going at idle speed of 0-1 miles per hour until we were outside of the wake zone.

"You ready for this?" I questioned.

She nodded. "Yup. First one to the state border wins!"

"It's ON!"

"So...did your mom mention anything?" she asked five seconds later.

"About what?"

"About us racing."

"Nope."

"Izzy, you're lying to me."

I snorted. "What? No. She didn't. Honestly."

"I mean, we can turn around right now if you want to."

"Nope. I don't."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

I pressed on the gas lever, and off we went. I was going at least thirty miles an hour; Leila was nearly next to me too. We served past boats and other Wave Runners too. Leila and I reached the border, and we stopped. We had both tied.

"I guess we're both the winners?" I said, asking it like a question.

She nodded. "Yup."

We stayed at idle speed again and just talked for twenty minutes.

The sun started to go down, so we started to head back when we another Wave Runner come right at us.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Leila asked me.

"If you're seeing a Wave Runner coming at us, then yeah," I answered.

"So, yeah, we're seeing the same thing."

The person on the Wave Runner was obviously a male, and he began to slow down and finally stopped seven feet away from where we were idle speed. He waved. I dropped my jaw. No way!

It was none other than my ex-crush Stephen!


	2. Trip to WalMart

Life Saver

Chapter #2: Trip to Wal*Mart

"Isabelle?" Stephen asked.

"Hey, Stephen," I said back.

"You two know each other?" Leila questioned.

"Umm...yeah. We go to school together. My mom told me someone moved up here from OakRidge, but I didn't know it was you!"

"And my mom said there was a girl my age that went to our school that's up here too, and I didn't know it was you!"

"So...what're you doing out here?"

"Uh...my dad saw two girls on wave runners racing, so he told me one of them was probably that girl from school, and he was right."

I smiled.

"Yup. It's me."

We laughed.

I miss him...I miss the way we used to talk. When I told him I liked him, our friendship sort of just...fell to the ground. We haven't been the same since seventh grade, and now here we are as new freshmen at OakRidge High. I hope this way, we'll be friends like we were a long time ago.

"So, what are you two doing tonight?" he finally asked after a while of silence.

"I'm gonna eat dinner. What're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna eat too!"

"Well, then coolness!"

"Haha, yeah."

It got awkward again.

"Well...we better head back. Right, Isabelle?" Leila finally spoke up.

"Oh yeah. Right."

"Well, I guess I'll see you around the lake?"

"Of course."

I smiled, and we went our separate directions. I watched Stephen zoom back to his lake house like the wind. His waves were almost nothing in a minute. I sighed inside but didn't tell Leila what I was feeling.

"You ready?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah."

We vroomed back home and parked our Wave Runners. Next, we lifted them up or tied them up like Leila has to. At my house, we played cards and gossiped some more about her enemies at her terrible school. Then, she suddenly jumped to the subject of Stephen.

"So...do you like Stephen?" she blurted.

It hit me fast like lightning.

"Do what?" I said, as if I didn't understand the question, but I did. Finally, I confessed, "Yes, I used to." I could feel my face turning red.

"Aww! You're blushing!" she cooed.

I bowed my head in embarrassment and laughed.

"I used to! I used to!" I protested. "But I don't anymore."

"Well...good then 'cause he's gonna be mine soon." She winked.

"Seriously?" my voice changed.

"Uh yeah! He's SO my type! He's probably smart, funny, and nice right?"

"Yeah he is but-"

"But-he's perfect! He's super hot to!" she emphasized on the word hot.

Leila and Stephen? What kind of combination is THAT? Leila was a total girlie. Stephen, on the other hand, plays baseball and swims. The two just don't clash together. As for me, I do sports too-basketball and Ultimate frisbee, but like Leila...she won't even touch a ball. She cries out like she's in pain because one time a basketball touched her. Like hit her on the foot and she yelled. Eh...well, I guess since I'm over Stephen, I shouldn't care right? I mean, it's his choice after all and not mine.

"Isabelle!" Mom came into my bedroom. "Would you like to go to Wal*Mar with me?"

"Umm...sure," I agreed. "Leila, you wanna come along too?"

"Nah it's pretty late." Leila shook her head. "My mom's cooking dinner tonight anyways, but thanks for asking!"

"See you tomorrow?" I said.

"A demain!" she said in French.

"What does that mean?" I asked blankly.

"See you tomorrow!" She laughed, and I did too.

We hugged, and she waved good-bye as she shut our front door and headed home.

"Let's hit the road!" Mom announced.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" I asked Mom as we walked into the air conditioned Wal*Mart in this small town.

"We need more cereal, and your father wants a new shovel," Mom answered.

"A shovel? Why?"

"I have no clue. He rarely tells me anything anymore." A sad sound filled her voice as she changed her tone completely. "Anyways, I think the cereal is over here..." I followed her to the aisle.

I said nothing more for the rest of the Wal*Mart run. At the cash register, Mom paid with cash, and we grabbed our things and loaded everything into the car. We left Wal*Mart in less than four minutes.

On the road, she turned on the radio.

My phone vibrated, which is weird because we don't have signal up here, and who would be texting me anyways?

Unknown Number:

Hey, you wanna race me later on this afternoon?

Stephen

This is from Stephen? How did he get my number? Well, I really don't care because I get to race him! Yes! I smiled and put my phone away.

"What's that look for?" Mom questioned.

"What're you talking about?" I played the dumb what are you talking about game.

"Isabelle, don't play dumb with," Mom answered sternly. I felt guilty inside.

"Ok fine! I'm gonna race Stephen later on this afternoon," I blurted.

She gasped.

"Stephen? That new boy?"

"Uh...yeah..."

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah he goes to my school."

"He does?" she raised an eyebrow. "Mmm-mmm. Is he cute?"

"Mom!"

She laughed.

"OK! OK! I can tell he is from that expression."

I smiled inside. Yes, he IS cute, and I don't think I'm over him.

The drive way home was something I would never forget. There are two paths that go to the right side of the lake, where Stephen lives, but we go to the left to our house, and it hit me fast.

I would never return to the lake house alive.


	3. The News

Life Saver

Chapter #3: The News

Mr. Fregretsburg impatiently flipped through television channels, searching for sports.

Disney Channel.

Weather Channel.

Animal Planet.

News.

A picture of a car. Wrecked.

He kept on clicking the down button but suddenly went back to the news.

"Authorities have stated the dead victim as fifteen-year-old Isabelle Henderson, who was riding home with her mom when a drunk driver hit her side of the car, killing her instantly. The drunk driver is now in prison for man slaughtering and has not yet been identified." The news lady was standing right in front of a scene of outside. The car was smashed on one side. Another car was to the other side of the car; the front of the car was ruined too.

A woman crying was in the background by her car. It was Mrs. Henderson, Isabelle's mom.

"We will report back later in a few minutes with more news." The news lady had one sad look on her face before a commercial came on.

"What's going on?" Stephen Fregretsburg asked as he came into the living room with a plate of food. His father turned off the TV, put the remote control down, stood up, and said, "Your friend's dead."

"What?" his mouth was stuffed with food.

"Isabelle. She's dead."

He laughed. "You're kidding, right?" Mr. Fregretsburg did not change his expression at all; it was sad but serious.

"No. She can't be dead!" Stephen's voice grew louder. "She-she-she just can't!"

"Stephen..." his father began.

"No. Don't Stephen me."

Stephen walked out of the room.

Mr. Fregretsburg sighed as he sat back down and put his hands to his head.

*Stephen's View*

I sat down on my bed and called Isabelle's phone. It rang...and rang...and rang...

"C'mon, c'mon! Pick up, Isabelle. You're not dead. You're just not," I said to myself. Finally, it went to voicemail.

"Hey, it's Isabelle. I'm not here right now, but if you leave your name, phone number, and a short message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible," the recording of her voice played.

I hung up and threw my phone on the bed.

A knock was on my door as soon as a tear fell from my eye. I sniffed and tried to hide my tears as my mom entered my lake house room.

"Sweetie, I saw the news just a few minutes ago about your friend..." she began.

"It's not true." I sniffed. "It's not. They're lying. They're just making up stuff for attention." I shook my head a few times. I was shaking all over my body. The thought of sweet Isabelle Henderson...dead...made me feel sick. I felt something come up my throat. I ran to my bathroom and threw up in my toilet.

My mom came up from behind me and patted me on my back. I took a deep breath and washed my face off. She flushed the toilet.

"There was nothing you could do about it," she reassured me.

I stared myself in the mirror.

Or is there?

She thought there was nothing I could do, but I know for sure...there IS.

A few things you don't know about me is that I'm fifteen, I'm a ninth grader, I'm five foot nine, and I've had a crush on Isabelle since the seventh grade. One interesting fact that no one knows about me is this: I can prevent things from happening but only after I know about it. I can not make a vase not fall. If it happens, then I can go back in time and stop it from happening.

So that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna go back in the past and prevent Isabelle's death from happening. No matter what.

Here's how I found out about my power: One day, my dog died. That night, I somehow wished that he would still be alive. The next day, there was my dog in the kitchen waiting for me.

Now I've never done something like this-where I go back in time and prevent something. I've asked one of those crazy guys who believe in going back in time and changing the future. He said that I have to think about what I want the most and think about it hard, and I have to know the exact day and time in order to do so. Then I'd appear at the exact moment. I wouldn't be there physically but mentally. I would be a ghost. People wouldn't see me since I was never at that place, but they can hear me.

I have to do it tomorrow because I have to wait a day to go back in the past. It's just the rules of "preventing" time traveling.

The sun blinded me the next morning. I shielded my eyes with my arm and slowly got out of bed. I stumbled towards my door and opened it slowly. I slumped forward as I walked down the steps to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Steve," Mom said sweetly. "How did you sleep?"

"Oh hi, Mom. I had this weird dream that Isabelle died..."

Mom dropped her knife. It went clang on the floor. Then she cleared her throat.

"Uh...sweetheart, that wasn't a...a dream..." she finally said.

I nodded and understood. Next I realized what I had to do today. I had to save Isabelle from her death. Today. The crazy man said I have 24 hours to save one thing, and once I save her, I can't go back and do it all over again. You got one shot for this-one chance to save Isabelle.

"Mom, do you know exactly what time the car wreck happened?"

"Well, dear, I...don't know that answer. You'll have to watch the news or go ask Isabelle's mom..."

Her mom? I should've thought about that...

"Are you really going to?" Mom questioned.

I nodded. "Yeah. I am."

After breakfast, I got dressed appropriately, and Mom allowed me to drive (carefully) to the other side of the lake where Isabelle's lake house was.

"Only go about twenty," Mom had told me before she gave me the keys. I thought I heard sadness in her voice.

"I will," I promised.

On the road, I obeyed my mom and went about twenty miles an hour on this windy road towards Isabelle's lake house. The gravel on the road crunched underneath the tires of my dad's Suburban. Leaves flew in front of the car, and they continued going west. The sun shone high through the thick trees, and I finally came to Isabelle's driveway. I followed the path to the house. There, I stopped, parked, and got out. I slammed the door and made my way to the front door.

The rocks on the ground made crunching noises, and I finally stepped onto the front porch and rang the doorbell. I waited. Nobody came. I rang it again. Then I heard a voice say, "Hey! Who are you?"

I turned around and saw a boy, who looked about ten or eleven. He was around five foot two,

"Oh hi there," I said politely.

"Hi. Who are you?" he repeated the question.

"My name's Stephen. I'm a friend of...Isabelle's..."

I knew I shouldn't have said that. His eyes began to tear up when I said her name.

"MOMMY!" he yelled and ran behind the house.

Without realizing it, I was following him. I jogged and stopped. Mrs. Henderson was hugging Isabelle's little brother, who was full out crying. When she looked at me, she cleared her throat and said, "Jeremy, why don't you go play with Whiskers?"

"He's just a stupid old cat! I want Isabelle back!" he cried more and ran to the back of the house and out of sight.

"I'm sorry, Stephen," Mrs. Henderson said softly. "Isabelle's death has been...real hard on him since he found out yesterday. He didn't believe me at first." She sniffed. Tears began to come out of her eyes too, and she began to cry as well.

"But...I had to tell him it was true." Her eyes turned red, but she tried to hold it in as best as she could. I couldn't help but also feel a tear forming in one of my eyes. "Do you want to come inside and talk? Or...?"

"No, thank you. I was actually wondering...if it wouldn't hurt to ask...do you remember exactly what time last night the wreck happened?" I hoped she would reply. She paused for a second and sniffed again.

"Well, it was about five forty-five when we left for Wal*Mart, and it took about ten minutes to get there and around twenty minutes to shop...we headed back to the house around six-twenty. Why do you ask?"

"Oh I was just asking because I...it's complicated. You'll understand later."

"Oh? I will?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Well, I have to hit the road. Talk to you later?"

She smiled. "Of course. Always nice to see you, Stephen."

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Henderson."

I turned on my heel and headed back to my car. The drive home, I wondered if Mrs. Henderson knew what I was planning to do. I hope not because I want this to be a surprise.


	4. Life Saver

Life Saver

Chapter #4: Life Saver

"So how was she?" Mom asked as soon as I stepped into the house. I handed her the keys and sat down on the counter seat.

"Mrs. Henderson?" I asked; Mom nodded. "She was good. She's handling it pretty well but..."

"But?"

"Isabelle's brother isn't."

Mom silently went, "I'm not surprised."

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned.

"Huh?" Mom played dumb. "Oh I just mean I didn't take it very well when I was eleven, and my father passed away..." It looked like she was going to cry too at the memory.

"Mom..." I said softly before the tears came.

"Oh sorry, Stephen," Mom said. She sniffed too. I'm seriously getting sick of people sniffing. Is that bad to think? "Just...memories...are flooding over me again. I need a tissue." I watched as Mom left the kitchen and headed towards the bathroom.

I sighed and headed outside in the daylight to do my mission. I went out to the yard and stood real still. I thought real hard...saving Isabelle...around six-thirty...last night...saving Isabelle...in the car...on the way home...gotta save her...save Isabelle...

The world around me spun around and around like a cyclone. My feet stayed firm on the ground. I closed my eyes and thought the same things over and over again...I have to save Isabelle. I want to save her...I need to.

Pictures of Isabelle flooded my mind...I could see Isabelle and her mom getting into the car after Wal*Mart. The scene went abruptly past until one minute before the wreck, and I knew it was time.

I opened my eyes.

It was night time. No cars were on the road. I knew it was about time for Isabelle to appear. I heard a car coming from behind me. I turned around, and there was their car about fifty yards away. I was at the intersection of two roads. I heard another sound. The other car coming from the opposite direction. I closed my eyes and-

Next thing I knew, I was sitting behind Isabelle in the back seat. I knew she couldn't see me, so I whispered, "Tell your mom to stop the car. Stop the car now." Isabelle cocked her head to the side and said, "Umm...Mom, could you stop the car now? I think I'm gonna puke." Her mom slowly stopped right as the drunk driver came from the road and swerved and tumbled to the side of the road. Isabelle and Mrs. Henderson gasped.

"Oh my gosh! Are they OK?" Isabelle cried.

I smiled, and I knew my mission was complete. I had saved Isabelle from dying.

Then I woke up.

"Wake up, wake up!" My mom yelled. She had a huge smile on her face. "I have a guest for you."

"You do?" I asked groggily.

"Boy, you are never a morning person huh? You must take it after your father." She smiled again. "C'mon and hurry! Don't keep her waiting..." she walked out of the room.

Her waiting?

Was it Isabelle?

I got out of bed and checked my hair. It looked fine. Next, I put on a t-shirt since I don't wear shirts when I go to sleep. I'm weird like that. I brushed my teeth too, so I don't have bad breath, and I sprayed some cologne on me too. I took a deep breath and walked downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, I could tell by her sweet angel voice it was Isabelle. I found her in the kitchen with my mom, who was making breakfast.

"There he is!" Mom announced. "Sorry, Isabelle. He's always a heavy sleeper." She winked at me.

"Hey," Isabelle said. I couldn't help but stare at her beautiful self. She has the prettiest brown hair I have ever seen. She was wearing jeans and a two inch sleeved tank top with a light sweater around her shoulders. She smiled; her white teeth shined like the sun. Her hair was resting gently on her shoulders and back, and I had to stare for a while. Even one day without her kills me. I just love seeing her everywhere I go or everywhere I am.

"Oh hey," I said smoothly. I did the guy wave. She smiled big, and I knew she was trying to hide her laughter.

"Isabelle's going to join us for breakfast. Won't you, dear?" my mom asked.

"Sure!" Isabelle chirped. "I'd love to." She emphasized big on "love." Was that supposed to mean something?

"What's today?" I questioned.

"It's Saturday morning, hon! Keep up with the time, won't ya?" Mom answered. She winked at me again. "So I'm making pancakes. I hope you like them."

"Of course I do!" Isabelle replied. "Pancakes are my favorite!"

"Do you like chocolate chips in them?"

"Since I was ten!"

They laughed, and I just watched them interact with each other. It made me smile a bit.

"Your mom is so nice," Isabelle told me after breakfast was over, and I was driving her home.

"Yeah she is." I nodded in agreement.

After a few seconds of silence, I finally broke it with, "You don't have to sit in the back, you know."

Isabelle was sitting in the seat behind the passenger seat because she didn't like sitting in the front because she doesn't trust me with driving-yet.

"I know, but I...sitting in the front seat...for some reason, I don't like it anymore," she answered.

I snorted. "Why not?"

She didn't reply. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that she was staring at the window.

"I thought I was going to die yesterday," she said softly. A chill ran up my spine when those words hit me like red bricks. "I-I don't know why, but I had that feeling...like my life was going to be over...but do you know what saved me?"

I knew what was coming.

"You, Stephen, you're the one who saved me. I-I don't know why you were, but you were. A drunk driver nearly hit our car. I heard your voice saying stop the car. So I did. I did. And now, I'm alive because of you. You're...you're my life saver."

Then, she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped into the front and buckled herself back in. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

At her house, her mom came out to greet us.

"Why, hello there, Stephen!" a warm smile grew on her face. Out came Jeremy with Isabelle's cat Whiskers. Jeremy started to pet Whiskers like Dr. Evil in Austin Powers.

"Who are you?" Jeremy rudely asked.

"Jeremy, don't be mean!" Isabelle snapped. "This is Stephen."

"Oh...hi..." Jeremy huffed and went back inside.

"NO VIDEO GAMES!" Mrs. Henderson yelled after him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," was Jeremy's retort.

Mrs. Henderson just sighed. "Children..." she muttered under her breath.

"Mom, can I hang out with Stephen and Leila?"

"Sure, that's fine with me, honey."

"Great! Thanks!"

I watched as Isabelle headed over next door and knocked on it. A girl answered it. It was Isabelle's friend Leila.

"Isabelle!" Leila shrieked. "Oh! I've missed you already!"

"Yet, it's only been one day," Isabelle jokingly said.

They hugged, and when Leila saw me, she stopped.

"Oh. Hey..." she stuttered.

Why is she staring at me like that? She flipped her hair and battered her eyes.

"So, you're Stephen, right?" she asked in an odd sounding way that made my skin crawl. She tossed her hair to the side and smiled real big.

I shot a look at Isabelle, who looked utterly uncomfortable with what was going on. She was staring off in space and barely looking at either of us. I kept on looking at her while Leila was staring at me, and Isabelle was in no man's land.

"So...what're we gonna do today?" I finally silenced the awkwardness growing among us.

"Why don't we go down by the lake and lie on the beach?" Leila suggested in that same voice. She cocked her head to the side.

What is going on here? I mean, Leila's pretty, but seriously, I do NOT go for girls who automatically hit on me as soon as they see me. I'm SO glad Isabelle is not like that. That's why I like her, but I'm glad she doesn't know.

Or does she?

"Yeah the beach sounds good," Isabelle nodded in agreement. Leila looked at her like see? She's gonna do it. Why not you?

Because I think you're a really creepy flirter...

I'm glad I hide these thoughts inside my head because if these thoughts ever escaped my head, I'd be mortified.

*Isabelle's View*

Stephen was standing there like Leila had zapped her with her evil witchy powers when it comes to boys. I can't believe she likes him! Does he even like her? WHO DOES HE LIKE? Boys confuse me, but I'm glad we have them or else this world would be boring...

Leila was talking like some girl who wanted it right then and there. Yes, you know what I'm talking about! Darn her blonde hair! Gaw!

"So...you ready?" Leila questioned.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?

"Uh...Stephen doesn't have swim trunks," I piped up.

"Who said he needed them?"

"OK, you are seriously creepy!" Stephen blurted. Then he looked like oh my gosh why did I say that?

"Yeah...Leila...are you OK?" I stood up for him too. "You've been acting kind of weird lately..."

"You're crazy, Isabelle. And Stephen, I am NOT creepy..." her voice never changed. She laughed. "Well...I'm gonna go get ready. See you there." She waved in an odd way and disappeared into her house.

"Sorry about Leila..." I apologized to Stephen once she was out of earshot.

"I like you," Stephen said again.

4


End file.
